Resident doctors formerly known as junior doctors are to strike on 25 July for five days as they are demanding a 29% pay rise, this could see tens of thousands of appointments to be cancelled this month as hospitals typically see around 300,000 outpatients per day.
The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of leaving the NHS “recovery hanging by a thread” as it is “completely unreasonable” to strike over pay when resident doctors over the past three years have had a 28.9% pay rise.
Streeting said, “No trade union in British history has seen its members receive a 28.9% pay rise only to immediately respond with strikes, and the majority of BMA resident doctors didn’t vote to strike.
“This is completely unreasonable. The NHS recovery is hanging by a thread, and the BMA are threatening to pull it. The BMA should abandon their rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors’ working lives instead.”
Streeting wrote to the BMA on Wednesday saying he is “disappointed that despite all that we have been able to achieve in this last year, and that the majority of resident doctors in the BMA did not vote to strike, the BMA is continuing to threaten strike action”.
The Health Secretary said they have already received a pay rise this year which “was significantly higher than affordability.”
Streeting added, “Ultimately, we are all public servants. The public won’t see why – after a 28.9% pay rise – you would still walk out on strike and neither do I.”
Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers said, “Announcing five days of strike action with just two weeks’ notice can only be harmful.
“It’s totally unfair to patients whose care will be cancelled at such short notice just as the NHS was beginning to turn the tide on reducing waiting lists”.
“It shows a lack of respect for colleagues from many other disciplines who received lower pay rises and will now have to cover resident doctors’ work.”
Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, the committee’s co-leaders, said that “every attempt” has been made “to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration.”
They said, “Unfortunately, the Government has stated that it will not negotiate on pay, wanting to focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be. Without a credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay, we have no choice but to call strikes.
“No doctor wants to strike and these strikes don’t have to go ahead. If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks, we can ensure that no disruption is caused. The Government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs.”
